SAFP headcount reduced by 146 positions, but bureau vows no job losses

SAFP director Leong Weng In and Secretary for Administration and Justice Wong Sio Chak [Photo: Yuki Lei]

The government has proposed reducing the number of established positions at the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP) from 372 to 226, though the bureau has emphasized that no staff will lose their jobs as a result of the reduction.

The amendments to the Organic Law of the SAFP, set to take effect on July 1, will streamline the bureau’s structure from one director, three deputy directors, eight departments, 17 divisions, and one subordinate agency at the departmental level – to one director, two deputy directors, four departments, nine divisions, and one subordinate agency at the departmental level.

The bureau emphasized that established positions and administrative employment contracts represent different forms of employment, and that reducing the number of established positions will not affect staff under administrative employment contracts or individual contracts – “no one will lose their job as a result of the reduction,” SAFP director, Leong Weng In, pledged at a press briefing of the Executive Council (ExCo).

According to Leong, the bureau currently has 324 staff members, including both those in established positions and contract staff, and the reduction in established positions will not affect the rights and interests of current employees.

Concerning the reduction of the total authorized headcount from 372 to 226, the bureau stated that the current 226 authorized positions have not yet been fully filled, with approximately 136 staff members currently in these positions, and that “there are still unfilled positions.” Leong estimated that around 39 staff members – about 10% of the current 324 employees – will become eligible for retirement over the next three years.

She emphasized that the core objectives of optimizing departmental functions and restructuring are to enhance administrative governance efficiency and modernize the governance system. “Staff rights and their existing employment status will not be affected,” she said, adding that affected colleagues will maintain their status and be transferred into the new SAFP structure.

As noted by Executive Council spokesperson and Secretary for Administration and Justice Wong Sio Chak, the SAFP will make internal adjustments based on the needs of its various subordinate departments. In this regard, a total of 25 staff members have already been reassigned to other departments, including translation and data services.

It was also noted that authorities will use technology – including internal “large language models” and AI applications – to reduce the workload of staff, and that related efforts will continue to move forward.

Civil service numbers have sharply declined

The Secretary reaffirmed that the current administration has implemented very strict controls on staffing levels, with all hiring decisions – whether within or outside the establishment – strictly following the recommendations of the Commission of Audit and the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau. As a result, the total number of civil servants has decreased significantly in recent years.

Since the implementation of headcount controls in late April 2020, excluding university staff, the total number of civil servants has dropped from 32,540 to 30,797 – a reduction of 1,743. “The fact that there are vacant positions in the establishment does not mean we can hire people,” Wong said.

According to Wong, the reorganization of the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) and the SAFP, as well as the merger of the Land and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) and the Cartography and Cadastre Bureau (DSCC), will be completed by June 1.

In the second half of the year, several reorganizations will be carried out in an orderly manner, including the reorganization of the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM), the merger of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) with the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) and the Consumer Council (CC), the reorganization of the Government Headquarters Affairs Bureau (DSASG), and the merger of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the Sports Bureau (ID), and the Cultural Development Fund (FDC).

Wong emphasized that the authorities have not set an overall “reduction ratio” or “fixed target” for the civil service, but rather will assess each department based on its actual functions and operational needs. If there are surplus resources within a department, priority will be given to internal redeployment; recruitment will only be considered when there is a genuine need that cannot be met internally.